[RiverOtter]

I've just moved my studio to my basement, and I'm in desparate need of a spray booth. I've never constructed anything more complicated than pre-fab shelving, and have no tools to speak of, so making my own spray booth seems like a monumental, and rather unpleasant, task. I've been pouring over Craig's list for a couple of months now, but am not having any luck. Are there any pre-fab spray booths out there that might not blow my budget for the next 20 years? Or is there some other approach I can take?

[teardrop]

I have no idea how permanent you want this booth to be...or if you are planning on venting it outside/etc.

I saw this link and bookmarked it awhile back. PVC is easy to source at the Home improvement stores now...as is fairly thick plastic sheeting.

Might at least give you some ideas (?) http://www.aoaforums...pray-booth.html

If you want to vent it outside...look for a good inline fan (all metal) and flexible ducting for it on ebay or at your local hydroponics/grow store

good luck!

teardrop

[SShirley]

I'm actually building a spray booth of my own right now. It's taking longer than necessary because I don't want to rush it but it looks like it's going to work out. I essentially built a big box (40"x44") out of plywood and 2x4's, on legs (with casters). The air source is an 8" portable ventilator blower from Harbor Freight (Item # 97762, $50 after my super coupon). It has 1589 CFM's, so hopefully it is strong enough for such a big booth. It's going into a plywood box suspended from the "ceiling" of the booth and vented to the outside, which will match up with a vent hole I am cutting into the exterior wall of the studio. There will be a slanted baffle in front of the blower to concentrate the suction. The interior will be covered with melamine shower board with silicone at all the joints. It will have a fluorescent light inside and a power strip mounted on the outside. The compressor will sit underneath. I sure wish I had another room to put the compressor in, because this thing is going to be loud, but I don't. I'm hoping to have less than $200 in it when it's all done. I sure can't afford the one from Laguna.

I tried to build one out of an old dryer. I had read online that somebody had done that and it seemed so simple. So I bought an old gas dryer (it was 110 instead of 220 because only the blower was electrical. I thought I could take the front off, take the drum out and viola! Spray booth! Not so simple. It's amazing what all is inside a dryer. And the wires were all exposed. It didn't look very safe. So I hauled it to recycling and tried to think of a better idea. Hopefully the one I'm building from scratch will work. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sylvia

[JLowes]

Undertaking the construction of a spraybooth is a pretty daunting task. There are a lot of considerations to take into account, air flow rate, how the air will flow in the booth, what material the booth will be made of, how large the opening is, dimensions of the booth, what type of fan to use, where and how to run the exhaust; you get the idea. That said here are some links to spraybooths some folks have built:

http://www.richardae...ray%20Booth.pdf

http://www.luepotter.../spraybooth.htm

http://www.tomturner...com/page031.htm

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=tjxdZ89sOiw

http://cone6pots.nin...ate-spray-booth

https://plus.google....579872637320641

You can also research some of the design questions by reading specifications of commercial booths. I would try to stay with 1,000 CFM and a velocity of 150-200 feet per minute across the opening, which make the opening 5 square feet. This will keep the heavy glaze droplets suspended and moving out of your breathing space, and reduce the blow back. I had favored the idea of a waterfall type spraybooth, but at a Steven Hill workshop, he said that the water collection basin tends to grow all manner of creepies and there is the problem of disposal of the liquid.

The best bang for the buck commercial spraybooth I have found is the Sugar Creek Industries SB-1SC :

http://www.sugarcree...-c-256_257.html

I have heard that factory seconds are sometimes available, but only for pickup at the factory in Linden, Indiana. If you are in their area, that may be a consideration.

John

[RiverOtter]

Thanks, teardrop. I'm looking for something permanent, as most of my glaze application is done with a spray-gun. This PVC piping idea might work for creating the frame for a more permanent booth, and it doesn't require a lot of tools. Thanks for the link.

[teardrop]

RiverOtter, on 04 January 2012 - 10:11 AM, said:

Thanks, teardrop. I'm looking for something permanent, as most of my glaze application is done with a spray-gun. This PVC piping idea might work for creating the frame for a more permanent booth, and it doesn't require a lot of tools. Thanks for the link.

Glad it helped. FYI...1" pvc will be large enough (IMO). Chances are you wouldn't even have to glue it together.

If you use plastic sheeting...go to the heating/ducting section at Home depot/etc and look for FOIL tape. It will stick and hold well and stand up to the moisture ...unlike a lot of "duct" tape.

best of luck!

[Pres]

JLowes, on 04 January 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

Undertaking the construction of a spraybooth is a pretty daunting task. There are a lot of considerations to take into account, air flow rate, how the air will flow in the booth, what material the booth will be made of, how large the opening is, dimensions of the booth, what type of fan to use, where and how to run the exhaust; you get the idea. That said here are some links to spraybooths some folks have built:

http://www.richardae...ray%20Booth.pdf

http://www.luepotter.../spraybooth.htm

http://www.tomturner...com/page031.htm

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=tjxdZ89sOiw

http://cone6pots.nin...ate-spray-booth

https://plus.google....579872637320641

You can also research some of the design questions by reading specifications of commercial booths. I would try to stay with 1,000 CFM and a velocity of 150-200 feet per minute across the opening, which make the opening 5 square feet. This will keep the heavy glaze droplets suspended and moving out of your breathing space, and reduce the blow back. I had favored the idea of a waterfall type spraybooth, but at a Steven Hill workshop, he said that the water collection basin tends to grow all manner of creepies and there is the problem of disposal of the liquid.

The best bang for the buck commercial spraybooth I have found is the Sugar Creek Industries SB-1SC :

http://www.sugarcree...-c-256_257.html

I have heard that factory seconds are sometimes available, but only for pickup at the factory in Linden, Indiana. If you are in their area, that may be a consideration.

John

Hmmm I'm thinking of building my own booth also, and looking at your link to sugarcreek they look a lot like a laundry sub type sink on its side. I wonder if using one of those and siliconing in a bracket for the filter would work? cut an opening in top for the light covered with a glass or plastic lens. Hmmm could work.

[RiverOtter]

JLowes, on 04 January 2012 - 11:39 AM, said:

Undertaking the construction of a spraybooth is a pretty daunting task. There are a lot of considerations to take into account, air flow rate, how the air will flow in the booth, what material the booth will be made of, how large the opening is, dimensions of the booth, what type of fan to use, where and how to run the exhaust; you get the idea. That said here are some links to spraybooths some folks have built:

http://www.richardae...ray%20Booth.pdf

http://www.luepotter.../spraybooth.htm

http://www.tomturner...com/page031.htm

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=tjxdZ89sOiw

http://cone6pots.nin...ate-spray-booth

https://plus.google....579872637320641

You can also research some of the design questions by reading specifications of commercial booths. I would try to stay with 1,000 CFM and a velocity of 150-200 feet per minute across the opening, which make the opening 5 square feet. This will keep the heavy glaze droplets suspended and moving out of your breathing space, and reduce the blow back. I had favored the idea of a waterfall type spraybooth, but at a Steven Hill workshop, he said that the water collection basin tends to grow all manner of creepies and there is the problem of disposal of the liquid.

The best bang for the buck commercial spraybooth I have found is the Sugar Creek Industries SB-1SC :

http://www.sugarcree...-c-256_257.html

I have heard that factory seconds are sometimes available, but only for pickup at the factory in Linden, Indiana. If you are in their area, that may be a consideration.

John

John,

Thanks so much for all the information. The links you included are the same ones I've been finding, for the most part, and to be honest I'm just not comfortable taking on a project like that on my own. Call me chicken and you'd be right. The Sugar Creek booths look pretty interesting, although they aren't deep enough for some of my bigger platters. However, I bet it would be pretty easy to add on some depth, and that kind of project I'd feel OK about doing. Thanks for your suggestions.

Marian

[Dinah]

I built 32" x 32" x 32" spray booth this summer and cut down a cheap shower stall which Ace Hardware ordered in for me. I vented it through ducting to a small window in garage door, and built a wood box around an 11" shutter fan. I always use a top of the line respirator when I spray as well. Ace Hardware staff knew me by name by the time I finished installing everything.... Never built anything quite so ambitious, but it does the trick. I built a cradle for it and can affix a clamp light on edge to illuminate interior. I found instructions online. I really enjoy reading about folks' ingenius methods to beat spending big bucks. I put my paraffin + candle wax double boiler hot plate in there when I'm using hot wax. Vents the fumey niff out of the studio.

[Lucille Oka]

Is it possible for you to reclaim the waste glazes?
I have heard of wonderful glazes that have been accidently created by reclaiming the wastes. I never spray on glazes I brush on and use everything to the last drop.

[Pres]

Lucille Oka, on 04 January 2012 - 05:06 PM, said:

Is it possible for you to reclaim the waste glazes?
I have heard of wonderful glazes that have been accidently created by reclaiming the wastes. I never spray on glazes I brush on and use everything to the last drop.

I think if you use a waterfall spray booth you can collect the water with residue for glaze.

Tom Turners home built is here

http://www.tomturner...com/page031.htm

[j_tex]

I am 98% finished with my spraybooth that I (finally) tackled during the holidays...I've had the materials collected for about a year but was just a little too intimidated to start. I shouldn't have worried; it's GREAT and works fantastically. I, too, looked for years at spraybooth designs and having taken two Steven Hill workshops over the last 12 years I was/am sold on the idea of spraying. I cobbled together a few low tech boxes w/filters and fans over the years but they were a temporary solution at best. If I couldn't come up with a dependable, functional spraybooth I knew I wouldn't get the repeatable results and high quality glazing that I was after. I became convinced that a waterfall spraybooth was the design that would fit my requirements the best because it is the most efficient design at containing the overspray and would help me avoid drilling a hole in my garage wall (brick). It uses a shop vac to create negative pressure in the booth instead of a fan and is on casters (like everything else in my "garagio").

I ran across Joe Dillett's waterfall spraybooth videos about 14 months ago on YouTube and joined Pottery Basics in Yahoo Groups so I could download the detailed construction drawing that goes along with the three videos. (http://youtu.be/BUys2Gu2rhQ is the first one... the other two are linked from it.) Joe is very personable and corresponded with me by email when I had a few questions; he is a very skilled woodworker so he has great fabrication skills but you can have just average "wood butcher" skills (like me) and still get the necessary results. My cuts just aren't as beautiful as his... I liked his use of the plastic tank in lieu of a shower stall because I couldn't find a cheap enough shower stall (new OR used) and liked the idea that the tank lets you have doors that close it up when not in use.

I won't go into the details of the booth; they're all there on the videos. I don't know if the materials are within your budget, but here are the major items of expense:
160 gallon polypropylene water tank (available locally to me so I picked it up) ... $170 and it is 31" dia x about 5 ft high.
Six brass hinges and a hasp closure (Home Depot, about $40 total)
Aluminum reflector work light (Home Depot, $20)
25" x 26" piece of 1/4" Plexiglass ($35.50, cut for me by my local glass and mirror company) ... picked this up this afternoon
Assorted pieces of 1-1/2" and 1/2" PVC pipe and fittings ( Home Depot, probably $40 worth because I bought pre-cut 24" pieces of pipe instead of cutting my own from long lengths)
Two movers dollies from Harbor Freight (8.99 each when I caught them on sale) I connected these together side by side with long pieces of 1x2 wood screwed into them... the booth sits on them and can be rolled around.
Large fountain pump (692 GPH with 11' max lift) from Harbor Freight ($49.99 online but $37.50 after my 25% off New Year's Day coupon at my local HF store)
Misc copper and plastic tubing clamps (less than $5), spare bucket for the pump to sit in, $8 of plastic sheet for the work light to sit on, etc.
Shop vac and compressor (I already had them)... and $14.95 noise-cancelling ear muffs from Harbor Freight: they use AA batteries and cancel out sounds above 90 dB, allowing me to stop worrying about the noise the compressor plus shop vac make --- since I don't have the option to put the compressor in another room.

Good luck in your search; I know it's hard to get what you want within a reasonable budget but you will find it if you keep looking.

[Dinah]

I can wash down residue from spray booth. I collect it in a bucket labelled "Heartbreaker".

[TypicalGirl]

FWIW, here's what I did for a quick, cheap and easy spray booth...
https://www.facebook...68547878&type=3

[centered]

If there is nice still weather, is it possible to spray outdoors safely without a spray booth and just wear a good respirator?

[Gordon Ward]

Several years ago I posted this drawing on-line for a downdraft spray booth built primarily of plywood, 2x2s and some 2x6s.

http://www.flickr.co...art/1063497379/

I fitted the bottom inside with some house venting louvers (galvanized sheet metal) which catch 99% of the overspray and can be removed periodically and hosed off or just scraped off in place (with the fan running). I am completely satisfied with it's excellent performance. The tube-axial fan, which I located at Graingers is the most expensive part of the arrangement. It is what is used on one of the Laguna models. The fan blades have never needed any cleaning after 4 years of use. I was able to locate this fan on ebay and got a local motor repair place to tell me how to wire it.

I used to always wear a face mask, but now after many years, I realize that there is no need. It draws extremely well. I do use a couple of "tell-tails" consisting of thin strips of plastic hanging from the upper edge of the opening.

I thought I wanted the bottom plastic tray for cleaning with water, but now I usually just scrape out the dried glaze and don't worry about a spotless interior. I would probably skip the plastic tray If I had to do it again.

[ShaJa]

RiverOtter, on 04 January 2012 - 07:49 AM, said:

I've just moved my studio to my basement, and I'm in desparate need of a spray booth. I've never constructed anything more complicated than pre-fab shelving, and have no tools to speak of, so making my own spray booth seems like a monumental, and rather unpleasant, task. I've been pouring over Craig's list for a couple of months now, but am not having any luck. Are there any pre-fab spray booths out there that might not blow my budget for the next 20 years? Or is there some other approach I can take?

I bought a fiberglass shower stall that was on closeout for $80 at Lowe's. We cut off the top to the height we needed and used the leftover piece for the "roof". We put it on a table. We cut a hole in the back and installed a fan with a tube into a muslin bag. In front of the fan we put another piece of extra fiberglass offset from the back by 2 inches so that when spraying the spray does not go directly into the fan. You can clean the booth with a hose or sponge and it all runs through the shower hole in the middle. we also cut a hole in the table and the leftover glaze and water runs into a bucket underneath. I've found you can actually let that dry and then dispose of the residue as a powder instead of a liquid. All this can be done with a jig saw and drill.
You can see pictures and instructions of similar approaches, where they go even further and have a pump for the water to wash the booth, at: http://www.tomturner...com/page031.htm, and https://picasaweb.google.com/AviHarriman/SprayBooth#.

Here is a picture of me spraying in the booth

Good luck!
ShaJa

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[JLowes]

@TypicalGirl - Love it! I picked up a Rubbermaid Brute waste can for a start on a similar booth. I think you may need a few more of those muffin fans to do the job properly. What has been your experience with blow back of spray from your booth?

John

[Gordon Ward]

The most important thing is to get a good fan with as much volume as you can afford. I have built three homemade spray booths, and the single most important lesson is get a good fan. I finally ended up with a 10" fan designed for this purpose. Also if you spray in a downward direction, have the exhaust pulling in that direction. If your exhaust is going out the top, and there is good air flow, a lot of glaze will get pulled away from what you are spraying.

[ralphross]

I'm looking at the same spray booth options. For me the best bet seems to be the Paasche HSSB-30-16 $400 Big Ceramic Store). There is a smaller one but I'd not recommend getting too small. If your budget is larger I'd say go to the Paasche BBF4 better ventilation system but about $1000 or $1100 with an explosion proof motor. Don't forget you need to get a compressor and air gun(s). I see air guns I like the $68 Bailey C-072-7. There is a nice airbrush set Paasche VL#3 Double Action $67. Get a compressor with 125 psi not one of those mini ones. Any hardware store has compressor for about $125. Since I will really only do one pot at a time I don't see need for larger units but you may. There is a nice Paasche unit series called the EBF's running from 3 feet wide to 8 feet wide. These are nice and run from about $1200 to $1600 dollars.

RiverOtter, on 04 January 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:

I've just moved my studio to my basement, and I'm in desparate need of a spray booth. I've never constructed anything more complicated than pre-fab shelving, and have no tools to speak of, so making my own spray booth seems like a monumental, and rather unpleasant, task. I've been pouring over Craig's list for a couple of months now, but am not having any luck. Are there any pre-fab spray booths out there that might not blow my budget for the next 20 years? Or is there some other approach I can take?